This forum is for questions about medical issues and research aspects of Hepatitis C such as, questions about being newly diagnosed, questions about current treatments, information and participation in discussions about research studies and clinical trials related to Hepatitis. If you would like to communicate with other people who have been touched by Hepatitis, please visit our new Hepatitis Social/Living with Hepatitis forum

Hey Amigos!!

Hello y'all! I really don't have much of a question but I started on a follow-up 3yr study at my local clinical trial site last week and I thought about you guys and gals! It's great to see y'all are still helping ppl out and advocating stompin this ugly disease out of the world. My fight didn't work out too well and I threw in the towel after approx 5wks. I continued with my clinical trial tho' as I said I would and I do what I can. When I stopped coming around this forum it was b/c I was gonna get healthy and try tx again! Well it hasn't worked out that way for me unfortunately and I'm still working on it but not as good as I anticipated. Anyways, I decided to start with my clinical trial as they take real good care of me and if y'all don't remember I have blue shield insurance but my local HepC doctor sux!! He don't know didley sht! Just to give an example he asked me if I had ascities in my belly!! Anyways, I am at work right now so I will have to come back later. Hi to y'all, Trish, child-angel, Marsha2012, Iamthewalrus, Bill, Izzy and too many others to name but I didn't forget anyone!! be back friends!!!

Good luck to you Fredboard! Have you thought about changing doctors? I had a hepatologist that wasn't responsive with a staff that was worse! They caused more frustration and anxiety than anything else in my treatment. Anyway, I changed hepatologists mid-treatment and everything was so much better. With the help of this forum, a great GP for treatment of side-effects, and a hepatologist that basically got out of the way I completed treatment a year ago.

Good to hear from y'all! I've missed all youse as you helped me immensely to understand what I'm dealing with and (I emoted daily for alot of days)!! lol As far as my clinical trial site, it's not for tx, it's just to see how the drugs worked on me and to track how I am doing (maybe to see how the boceprevir mutated my strain or such) but I will talk about that another time.

Incidentally I had mentioned that my idiot (blue Shield) doctor asked me if I have ascites b/c I have gotten so huge. It's crazy, my belly is huge but my Alt, AST, platelets, Albumin, everything is normal. And I don't have ascites at all. Hey, here's my questions.

Prior to ascites are there any indicators? I mean is your ALT, AST, platelets and all are they gonna show? That doctor scared the krap out of me, I mean isn't ascites certain death? I hope someone sees these questions. If not I will start another thread as I will most certainly have more questions anyways. later friends

Hiya fret! What a nice surprise to see your name! Really good to hear that you're holding your own. Sorry to hear that treatment didn't work out for you, but it's great that you're still doing your part to add to data and research.

One thing idiot docs will do is test one's ability to be 'patient' :). Glad he's wrong about the ascites -- and encouraging that your test results are in normal range. My husband has a 'small amount' of ascites, but I don't know if there are any reliable 'indicators' of when it's about to happen. In my husband's particular situation, the discovery of his mild ascites in 2008 did happen concurrently with a sudden spike in LFTs (200 range), but it may have been strictly coincidence, really can't say for sure.

Ascites is certainly is one of the symptoms of decompensating cirrhosis, but I wouldn't characterize it as 'certain death.' It can be managed and controlled to some degree -- as example, since my husband's mild ascites was identified over 2 years ago, it has remained stable. What I've been told by his docs is to check weight daily (and to call if he gains 5 lbs or more in a week), and to keep an eye out for 'distension' (quickly expanding belly). If there is risk for ascites, minimally, abdominal imaging (ultrasound) should be done every 6 months or so to check for that and other complications of cirrhosis.

I appreciate seeing you on here and you too Marcia, Marcia2202!! lol It's super to see my old friends still kicking it on this forum, all youse are already making me feel better!! I mean I'm not sick or anything but just talking makes me feel like you guys are with me on this (HepC) fight and it does alot for me emotionally speaking! I'm gonna get another thread started cause I have alot more questions to ask. Oh and I gotta read around a bit too!! I really appreciate your input here eureka254 and I hope your husband is doing well!!

Hiya, mikesimon and smaug! Great to see all of you still on here sharing health!!
If any of the new ppl here ever wonder about the power of this forum, I suggest you stay on here for awhile and get to know some of these ppl who answer questions!! This place is a Godsend and (all) the members I ever had contact with on here have always tried to help and that's what this forum is all about!! I gotta get ready for work, I'll be back!! talk later

Good to see you back at it again! A qualified clinician should be able to detect ascites and differentiate it from visceral fat by physical exam; at least if it’s pronounced anyway. By tapping on the belly they should detect a noticeable fluid ‘wave’. Of course, if it’s minimal, imaging will pick up small amounts.

Hey good to see you two here still helping ppl, that's great! Yes, about the ascites that doctor scared the krappa out of me and then I had a ultrasound and found out that I'm doing alright for an aging overweight ex-user! lol See ya on the board!!

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